#don’ttakeitpersonally

I have reached the end of my sojourn that was a month-long process for me. I have visited family and friends, met many new friends and have been able to give real hugs to some friends who were only virtual friends before this trip. I have seen snow and beautiful countryside scenery and then entered into one of the most peaceful serene places on earth and immersed myself in its healing energy. I am not returning home as the same person I was when I left. So much has changed that it would be impossible to put it into words. It’s the is-ness experience to the fullest degree possible. “Is-ness” is living in the Now moment; choosing to surrender completely to what is happening. I consciously made it mine, allowing the unfolding of the event to be whatever it would “be” without the burden of my expectations. This does not mean that I had no desire concerning the outcome of the experience but my desire took a backseat to the flow of energy that happened with the experience. With every experience that happened on this journey, I allowed it without attachment to the outcome. I said “yes” to the is-ness. I let go of personal attachments easily and without regrets. It takes great courage to do this, to step out of your comfort zone; yet, I do not feel courageous. I feel empowered, spiritually expanded and physically renewed.

I feel I can now say yes to whatever is out there for me to experience. I have experienced being open to the flow of the “is-ness” and choosing to do so has transformed my entire life. This experience was made possible because of one person who believed in me, who wanted only the best possible outcome for my experience. Her love and support was given without personal agenda but rather with compassion and in response to urgings from her higher self and spirit guides. Many thanks to my dear friend Jeryl Anne. I know we have a lot of work to do together and I am super-excited for that!

Facing personal demons is no fun, especially late at night or first thing when arising in the morning. It is my belief that life should be fun, should be enjoyed to its full extent and capability; thus, when buttons are pushed and tears flow it is time to reflect on that which has not been released from my human psyche or from a soul level. This verse from the poem Invictus is a go-to of mine:

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

My decisions lead me to choices, i.e., actions, that not only affect me but those in my life and those in generations that will come after me. My life is not inconsequential. It does have meaning and value and just how much value it has depends on my own sense of self-worth. If I choose to give my power away and give in to feelings of unworthiness, that is on me. It is my choice alone, no one else’s. If I stand up for myself, using my authentic voice, that again is my choice alone. The voice of my father rings in my ears from so many years ago before his passing from this earth plane: “Never let anyone walk all over you.” Interpretation: Know your worth…set your boundaries.

Peace, be still. Can’t you feel the storms raging? Last night the winds were so strong they moved the pool furniture around. I stood out by the water and felt myself being moved about and I thought how life is like that sometimes if we allow it. We can let the storms rage against us, tossing us one way or another or we can put our feet firmly on the ground, as I did last night, and say “peace, be still.” I know I make this point quite often about how we each choose how to live our lives and I will probably make it another million times before I die, but it is because it is so important to understand. Our minds are powerful – so powerful that if we use our imagination and tell ourselves we are in a very cold place and feel it deep inside of us, we will actually start shivering from being cold, even in the heat of summer. If we tell ourselves and truly believe that we are abundant, we will not only feel and act as if we are but we will manifest those things or people in our lives that will bring abundance to us. Top athletes use visualization methods to see themselves excelling at their sport. Executives use visualization to advance their leaders and themselves to achieve success. Inventors use visualization methods to give their brain the task of creating. This is nothing new. When we visualize ourselves as successful and abundant and healthy, our minds immediately go into creative mode to look for solutions that will match what we are imagining ourselves to be. Our job is to be still and believe. That’s it! We are such magnificent co-creators with the universe but so many are looking at the winds raging and waiting for a savior to say “Peace, be still.”

Right now stop whatever you are doing and go look in the mirror. Do it now, don’t wait. Say to yourself, “I am a truly abundant being.” Breathe. Again, “I am a truly abundant being.” Say it once more with confidence. Now, carry that thought with you the rest of the day. Marinate in it. Let it go to the deepest part of your soul. When the storms rage and the ego starts talking, simply say “Peace, be still.” I love you. Namaste

I’ve always been fascinated with dreams – you know, that phenomenon that happens when we close our eyes to “rest.” Sometimes I think it is God’s way of entertaining me so I just enjoy the movie but other times I wake up shaken and full of questions. Was it real? Did that really happen on another dimension and I just experienced it there? No one can really answer definitively what dreams are all about though many have tried to do so. Many of us search for answers when we have a disturbing dream or even an interesting or pleasant dream. We look up the analysis of what it could mean. There are those who never remember their dreams after awakening. From what I understand, we all dream as our brain doesn’t have an “off” switch so it just makes sense it would use that time to play and create. It usually happens during the deepest stages of sleep according to scientists. Even Freud voiced his opinion that dreams were a way for people to satisfy urges and desires. There are so many philosophies and interpretations about why we dream and what it means but I will stick with my own thought that God is entertaining me and my guides and angels are showing me messages and helping me to remember them.

Do you remember your dreams? If it is something you want to train your brain to do, you can set an intention before you go to sleep that you will remember when you wake up. You can keep a journal and pen by your bed to write down what you remember upon awakening. The more you do this, the more you will start to remember. Our minds are so powerful and when we ask a question the mind immediately goes to work to look for a solution.

Some say we are dreaming our lives as a collective dream. What are your thoughts on that? If you want your mind to be blown, check out this article about collective dreaming: http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/may3/schlitz.htm. I’m still processing what I am learning about it. I would love your comments. Happy dreaming! Namaste

I woke up to the sound of my name – not the name I have been known as for most of my life but the name I was given when I came into the world. At first I ignored it but it persisted, calling me out of my deep sleep. I looked around the room and my cat was sitting there looking at me. While she does talk, she has never known me by that name. So I knew I had a visitor — someone that was reaching out to me – someone saying pay attention. It is one of those moments where you really have to be still ask yourself if that just happened. My next question was who are you and what do you want; how can I help you? The answer that I got was I am you and you are me. Not what I wanted to hear this early in the morning, so I closed my eyes to try to get a deeper connection. Again, I hear I am you and you are me. What does that mean? Am I talking to myself from a different dimension, is it my higher self communicating with me, all these questions and yet I know inside what I have to do. I have to sit with myself and quieten my mind and say okay I’m ready. Talk to me, show me what it is that I need to know.

Once the ego steps aside and we are just quietly open to receiving, it is amazing what we hear. Sometimes our spirit guides call our name, sometimes they gently nudge us on the shoulder or touch our hair but they persist until they get our attention. I have been dealing with a lot of things lately including my physical recovery, so the fact that they were calling out to me reminded me that I need to take that quiet respite daily to hear them and let them guide me. We all do. Have you had your daily dose of spirit today? I love you! Namaste

It was a language I was not familiar with so the sound intrigued me. I listened intently for the inflections to indicate question, emotions, etc. and tuned in to what I imagined she might be saying. I know that on some deep level my subconscious understood this, knew what the message was. I so wanted to “get it” and respond but instead I stood there with a blank look on my face. I could feel her frustration at not being able to communicate. My thought was “I should be able to understand her since we are all connected through spirit.” Immediately with that realization, a thought crossed my mind and I knew it was what she was trying to relay to me in her beautiful language. I motioned toward a hallway and a huge smile appeared on her face. She was so grateful and she also knew that it was a soul level connection and not that I miraculously comprehended her foreign language. It was truly a beautiful moment.

In the Oneness of all that is, there is no need for words or interpretation. We just connect our energies and relay our messages. It is just that simple. Our human brains and ego want to complicate it, doubts kick in and the word “can’t” keeps rearing its ugly head. So seriously, learn to let go of the reins and use the mantra “I understand.” Learn to just free yourself to receive the messages when they come and not question them. Go with that first gut instinct and the first thing you hear. Easy peasy. I love you! Namaste

Today is a most amazing day! It really is true that what you focus on expands. When we focus our attention on finding positive uplifting things, the universe always provides. When we make a conscious decision to be happy, we are happy. This does not mean that life is perfect or that there is no stress because that is always going to be there. It simply means that whatever comes our way we have already decided that happiness is the priority and that we can handle the daily stresses. Every day we pick and choose our battles. We make the decision of what we will react or respond to and what is just not that important. When we decide that something requires our attention, we can stop and analyze before we reply. In using our inner happiness as a guide, we can then decide if what is in front of us is something we wish to make a part of our reality and if so what will the outcome be in doing that. Once we realize that we have choices, our sense of self-worth increases. We no longer are tossed about by other people’s intrusion into our reality. We create our own reality.

When I say, “today is a most amazing day,” that is my choice. I can make choices about how I feel today, how I interact with others, how much I allow myself to be influenced by others. If I make my happiness top priority in my life, I will make the choices necessary to ensure that happiness exists. Each of us has the ability to do this every day. Look at your day. What choices did you make that affected how you were feeling about yourself, about others, about the world? The simple awareness that we have choices, that we are in control of ourselves is what will determine our state of being happy or not. I choose happiness. I choose peace. I choose love. I love you. Namaste